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Italian pork imports stable

Over the course of 2017 Italy, the world’s third largest importer of pig meat, took in 966,100 tonnes of pork. This was relatively steady on the year, declining by a modest 3,000 tonnes year-on-year.

Imports into Italy are almost entirely from other EU countries, of which Germany is the main supplier, accounting for over a third of total market share. Although, shipments from Germany were down 5% on the previous year. Trade with Spain also declined by 2%. In contrast, imports from Denmark and France rose by 6% and 23%, respectively, following significant declines in 2016, with trade in 2017 more in line with historic figures. Notably Poland increased their shipments to Italy by 6%.

The live import market shrunk year-on-year in 2017, with volumes down 1% to almost 1.6 million head. Denmark, the main source of live pigs for Italy reduced its deliveries by 8% year-on-year, similarly Spain recorded a 14% decline. In contrast, the Netherlands increased its exports to Italy by 11%, which will have countered some of the reductions elsewhere.

Italian pork export volumes are much lower than their imports. In what was a positive year for domestic demand, exports were down 7% on the year at 93,900 tonnes in 2017. There was some shift in the destinations of exports. Shipments to EU countries decreased by 17% in 2017, mainly driven by a reduction in exports to Germany, Italy’s leading EU market, which fell by 5% to 7300 tonnes. Exports to non-EU countries increased by 14% in the same period. Most notably, exports to Japan and Hong Kong rose by 10% and 13%, respectively.